the invitation
it doesn’t interest me what you do for a living
i want to know what you ache for
and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart’s longing
it doesn’t interest me how old you are
i want to know if you will risk looking like a fool
for love
for your dreams
for the adventure of being alive
it doesn’t interest me what planets are squaring your moon…
i want to know if you have touched the center of your own sorrow
if you have been opened by life’s betrayals
or have become shrivelled and closed
from fear of further pain
i want to know if you can sit with pain
mine or your own
without moving to hide it
or fade it
or fix it
i want to know if you can be with joy
mine or your own
if you can dance with wildness
and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your
fingers and toes
without cautioning us to
be careful
be realistic
to remember the limitations of being human
it doesn’t interest me if the story you are telling me
is true
i want to know if you can
disappoint another
to be true to yourself
if you can bear the accusation of betrayal
and not betray your own soul
if you can be faithless
and therefore trustworthy
i want to know if you can see Beauty
even when it is not pretty
every day
and if you can source your own life
from its presence
i want to know if you can live with failure
yours and mine
and still stand on the edge of the lake
and shout to the silver of the full moon
yes.
—Oriah Mountain Dreamer
